Growing up Green
by longliveteentitans
Summary: Beastboy has never had problems aging before, but the Titans are changing and growing and Beastboy feels like he is being left behind. As he tries to adapt to the changes around him, and keep his friendship-or relationship-with Raven strong, he grows up.
1. Chapter 1

He sighed as he dropped the remote on the couch. Beastboy had had enough TV. There just wasn't anything new on. There was nothing new going on around him, and lately he really realized that. He had fallen into a routine for too long, it was beginning to take its tole. Beastboy was depressed with the things around him. They just weren't the same.

First: Cyborg.

**Beastboy stood in front of the car, in the Titan's garage. "Come on, Cy!"**

"**Sorry man, I got stuff to do, maybe later." Cyborg started the engine of his car. Beastboy sadly backed away. Cyborg didn't want to play video games anymore.**

**But Cyborg was just growing up, and Beastboy wasn't. Beastboy was sixteen.**

He thought about asking Cyborg to play- if he was home- but he knew Cyborg would be busy.

He walked the halls until he came to Raven's room. Beastboy had recently pursued a relationship with Raven. Actually more of a friendship, but Beastboy knew he was aiming for a relationship. He knocked four times. That was his knock.

The door swished open. Beastboy came in without being asked and sat on the bed, slumped over.

"Whats up?" Raven asked with interest. It wasn't everyday Beastboy acted like this.

"You wanna do something?" Beastboy suggested, looking at the floor.

"What do do you wanna do?"

"I don't know, I just wanna get out. I'm getting a little stir crazy, you know?" He looked up at her.

"No." She replied monotonously. She sat down beside him. "But if you want to get out, then lets go to the park." Raven said. She didn't really want to go, but she had nothing better to do and she hated seeing him this way. She really had begun to care for him lately. They were becoming close. Raven thought it was because he was aging, gaining wisdom and maturity. Maybe it was her, though. She slept a little easier each night, she she was just a little less withdrawn from activities with her friends, and she had things to contribute to conversations that weren't negative.

Beastboy was nodding his head. "Yeah- Yeah that sounds good. Lets go to the park."

"Okay." She said, and smiled just a little bit. She watched him out her door then followed and closed it behind her. "Lets go."

At the park, however, Beastboy wasn't happy. He was feeling that kind of depression you get on a weekend when the sky is gray and you get that numb feeling like all you want to do is sleep. He was on the swing when Raven decided she needed to talk to him.

"Beastboy?" She sat on a swing next to him. He didn't look at her. He just let his legs hang and sway slightly with the momentum he was loosing.

"You wanna go get ice cream or something?" he had false enthusiasm in his voice, but to Raven it sounded like sadness.

"You don't sound normal. Is there something wrong?" He was staring at the ground in a daze. Raven tried to read his eyes, see what he was seeing- what he wash thinking. Nothing. Nothing but cold, dry, nothing.

"I want to go home now. I'm tired."

"You sure? We could go to the beach, or-"

"I just want to go to sleep." He said in an almost cranky tone of voice.

"Okay." Raven said barely audibly. She got up and took Beastboy's hand. He automatically stood up and walked beside her back to the tower.

They were on the roof.

"See you in the morning, Raven." Beastboy said sadly. He didn't let go of her hand, but he didn't hold on. When he walked forward, it fell to his side. Raven let go. He looked behind himself. Raven was gone. He thought little of it and went into a deep sleep. He was seventeen.


	2. Chapter 2

That night Beastboy dreamed of his worst fear.

Raven just so happened to be walking by Beastboy's room when she heard him mumbling. She put her ear to the door and heard it clearly. He sounded like he was being gagged. On impulse, Raven ran in, but Beastboy was fine. He was shivering, crying, and whimpering on the floor. She calmed herself down as she stared Beastboy writhing on the floor. She was debating whether to wake him him up or not, and she ultimately decided it was probably the best thing to do.

"Beastboy?" she shook him gently by the shoulders.

His eyes shot open, and in a moment of confusion and fear, he had Raven pinned to the floor. He took short, heavy breaths, his chest moving up and down at top speed. "Raven! Don't do that!" still deep breathing, he helped her up. "Sorry."

"Its okay." She looked at him expectantly. Then she frowned. "Why were you... like that." she pointed at the floor. He looked at it and cocked his head to the side.

"I was just sleeping, dreaming."

"About what?" Raven pulled him over to the bed and sat down with him.

"I don't really-"

"Tell me."

He shook his head. "I don't think I want to. Its not important anyway." He shrugged.

"I guess if you aren't comfortable telling me, it must be serious." She watched him watch the door. Beastboy was still breathing abnormally, but not as abnormally as before. "I'll see you in the morning then?" She stood up to leave.

"The morning?-" Beastboy looked at the clock. It was one in the morning. "What were doing walking around at this hour?" He pushed.

"Um."

"You heard me, why were up so late?"

She sighed. "I wanted to see where you're always going at night." She looked at her feet like a child who was caught with their hand in the cookie jar.

Beastboy tensed up. "I don't go anywhere at night." He eyed Raven.

"Yes you do. I hear you come in when I come down for breakfast. You weren't here at this time when we fought killer moth last week!"

"I was too there, i-"

"You showed up after we had already engaged with him."

"Yeah, no. I mean-"

"If you wont tell me, I wont bug you. Its okay." She started to walk out.

Beastboy grabbed her arm. "I would- I want to tell you, but," he looked her in the eyes, "I don't." He let go. Raven left. Beastboy sighed and ran his hand through his hair.

Beastboy didn't sleep the rest of the night.


	3. Chapter 3

It was a crisp spring morning in jump city, and the sun was just above the horizon. Two bodies could be seen if you looked in the window of the living room in titan's tower. One, who you would always see at this hour, was Raven. She was reading her newest-old book while watching the sun rise. The other, Cyborg, would be up this early on Mondays when he made his weekly Monday pancakes. Today just so happened to be a Monday. As the sun grew higher, and the city woke up, one little green teen was slipping back into the tower from his secret late night escape. He would usually go in through the front door, but since last night when he found out that Raven knew he would sneak out, he just had to use his window.

Then, seeing that it was about eight o clock, he went down for some breakfast.

"Yahhh." Beastboy yawned. The room was not disturbed when he walked in and started up the skillet so he could make his non-dairy pancakes. Yes, pancakes were everybody's Monday tradition.

"You're up early." Cyborg pointed out. He wasn't really wondering about it though.

"Am I? I hadn't noticed." Beastboy shrugged. He hunched over his food and stared down thoughtfully at it. Cyborg pain no mind to this either.

On the couch, Raven was secretly not reading but wondering where Beastboy had been. After she had left him last night, she came back later and he was gone. She could have tracked him down, and now she regretted not doing so because she was clueless as to where he was going. She thought about it some more then shook her head. She resumed her book. But she barely finished a page when a cup of tea was suddenly thrust towards her face. She recoiled in shock for a moment, then looked up to see that it was Beastboy who was holding it. He didn't say anything. He had noticed that Raven already had a cup in one hand. He started to pull away.

"Is that for me?" Raven pointed to the cup in Beastboy's hand. He blushed.

"Yeah, but..."

"Thanks!" she said with as much enthusiasm she thought was appropriate, "I was just going to go make more, but now I wont have to." and just to make sure Beastboy didn't still feel bad about it she added another, "Thank you."

He gave a little smile, and a little laugh when Raven half-smiled back.

"You want some pancakes?" He pointed at the kitchen area.

"I don't know, I mean-"

"Or you know you don't have to."

"Oh no, I'll have some,"

"You don't have to-"

"Uh, never mind." Raven stopped their rambling.

"Yeah." Beastboy sighed in relief. He looked outside, then back at Raven. "You know, today's gonna be pretty nice." He said nervously.

"Yeah, I see." Raven looked out to the ocean. "I see."

"Well," He scratched his neck, "We should go outside."

"Uh, yeah, sure." Raven shrugged.

"Okay."

"Okay."

"Uh, my pancakes are probably overdone, so I should go clean that up, so..." He darted to the stove.

Raven brushed her violet hair out of her eyes and smiled.

Before her eyes, Beastboy had aged so many years and only now could she see him for the young adult he was. The sun was now fully up above the now bustling city. Morning was over. Mourning was over.

The whole time during Raven and Beastboy's awkward conversation Cyborg never heard a word they said, he was so embezzled in his pancakes. Robin was in the Gym so he would not hear it. Starfire, however heard the whole thing and was wondering why her friends were acting so strange.

After he cleaned up his burnt pancakes Beastboy ran to his room. He frantically tried to figure out what had happened. Did he really attempt to ask out Raven? Did she yes? No? Maybe? He just couldn't focus enough to find out what it all meant. When he laid down on his bed, he could hear his heart pounding. Why was everything changing like this? Things were moving so slowly, yet to fast for this green boy. But he also wasn't ready to let it all pass him by. And without caring to wonder why, he went to the place where he went at night. He just had to know.

**NEXT: the place where Beastboy goes.**

**My website is now updated and my first episode review is out. Go to my profile to check it out!**

**There is also now an arcade! Though I haven't tried it yet.**


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